May 31, 2010

A quaint, wonderful tale about a boy born mute who communicates in his own sign language, and helps his parents raise dogs on their farm in Wisconsin. The Sawtelle's have bred and trained a very special breed of dog for generations and appear to have an idyllic farm life. Edgar, unable to communicate like other children, has a special bond with his dog, Almondine, who was the first to discover his disability and alert his parents to the boy's silent cries on his first night home. Then sadness strikes when Edgar's father dies suddenly and all that once seemed certain is turned upside down as Edgar and his mother struggle to keep the farm going without him, and Edgar's father's brother Claude moves in, upsetting the family balance and causing Edgar to question Claude's motives, and the circumstances surrounding his father's death.

Part mystery, part family saga... I loved the journey of this story. The life, the setting, the wonderful descriptions of the farm, the dogs and Edgar's special connection with them. I really enjoyed reading this book. A beautifully written story that will draw you in to a place you'll want to stay...

May 11, 2010

What Alice Forget is a wonderful jigsaw of a read. Alice has an accident at the gym and forgets the last 10 years of her life.

This is a story of how people change and Alice's amnesia is the tool that Moriarty uses the unravel the family dynamic and the friendships in Alice's life. Some darker themes are tackled; Alice's sister's infertility and the erosion of love between Alice and her husband Nick.

A little more complex than some of her earlier work Blacklock writes with real warmth and humour. Three's a Crowd is a story about relationships and how they change, their fragility and strength. It also had me questioning some judgements I may have made about people and their relationships.

I am a self confessed chick lit fan so after meeting Ber Carroll, Dianne Blacklock and Liane Moriarty at Narellan Library in early May of course I hurried home with copies of their latest books to devour!

The Better Woman follows the lives of two women Sarah and Jodi living in Sydney and Ireland their lives running in parallel. I couldn't help but get caught up in their lives, as Ber Carroll writes with both empathy and humour and never did decide who I liked most!

May 10, 2010

After reading Deadfall I jumped at the chance to enjoy another Lyndon Stacey novel but I was bitterly disappointed by Outside Chance. I couldn't warm to the main character Ben Copperfield (and not just because he was a journalist!) and I found that the setting of the circus just couldn't replace the action of the racetrack.

However, my faith in Stacey was restored when I read the next novel Six to One Against. Another fast-paced easy read with a likeable hero in Gideon Blake. Plus a good romance as well! I'm glad I didn't give up on this author.